


In Starlit Nights I Saw You

by Druid_Moon



Series: Jukebox Serenades [2]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Crossover, F/M, Gen, M/M, Poly Relationships, Soulmates, time-travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:15:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6254347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Druid_Moon/pseuds/Druid_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's always wondered about the placement, the end of her words trailing upwards to wrap around her ribs, like some kind of promise to guard her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by amusewithaview's lovely soulmark fics AND her Bones/Darcy drabble. Because I never knew I wanted them until I did.
> 
> This has been sitting around for a while, waiting for me to finally get off my butt and finish it. Completely unbeta'd.

  


[You Burn Like the Stars](http://8tracks.com/druidmoon/you-burn-like-the-stars?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button) from [druidmoon](http://8tracks.com/druidmoon?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button) on [8tracks Radio](http://8tracks.com?utm_medium=referral&utm_content=mix-page&utm_campaign=embed_button).

_I always thought meeting my soulmate would be an earth-shattering event. Looks like I was right._

-o-

They curled across her ribcage, just under her breasts. She's always wondered about the placement, the end of her words trailing upwards to wrap around her ribs, like some kind of promise to guard her heart.

She waxed poetic over them in her youth, but what starry-eyed girl doesn't, especially with a soulmark like hers. Her soulmate's handwriting is big and sharp and strong, but the words themselves are beautiful, and she spent countless nights dreaming of the person to say them to her. Her parents weren't much help, telling her that she should wait and see what kind of person her match is (although her mother's response of “I swear to god if you're trying to pick me up on the first day of homeroom you're dead” to her father's benign “Hi, is this seat taken?” is pretty much exactly _why_ they say this), telling her to be patient and to wait before making judgments or plans.

So Darcy waited.

-o-

She waited through middle school, pushing down the jealousy when her best friend at the time, Emily, matched on the first day of sixth grade with a boy who's tall and whip-thin, but has kind eyes and a mop of hair that reminded Darcy a bit of Animal from the Muppets. Emily tells her, in excited hushed whispers, that his words smelled like fresh cut grass and sounded like the roar of a crowd, and Darcy was happy for her friend.

She's not happy when she discovered that children are cruel, because no one believed that Darcy, plain-fat-Darcy, could have words as beautiful as hers, and of course she couldn't _show_ them, so she's branded a liar and a freak. Emily doesn't say anything to help, moon-eyed over her match, but Darcy can feel the first cracks in the foundation of their friendship.

That was when she started to dress in bulky layers, to better hide her body and her words every chance that she can get. Her parents think she has esteem issues and take her to a therapist “for young ladies”, her mother rasped around her ever-present cigarette, and Darcy mutinously slumped down in the car seat, silently promising to not say a word.

Dr. Bartlett is nice, an older woman with soft brown hair and grey eyes. She reminded Darcy of pictures of her great-grandmother, and she doesn't push or pry into things when Darcy doesn't want to talk. It takes months of non-verbal communication and rebellious pre-teen sighs before she broke down in the office and sobbed out her story; of how she was called a liar and a thief

(“They accused me of stealing someone else's words, that I read it in a book or something because mine are really too boring!” Darcy cried to Dr. Bartlett. “And I can't show them, because even if I wasn't already past training bras, girls can't show their chests but boys can, especially for soulmarks, and it's not fair!”

“It's not,” Dr. Bartlett agreed quietly, and tells Darcy the story of her soulmate, a woman that was at home right now with her husband and three children. They met far too late to be anything more than friends, but they are dear friends, and Dr. Bartlett wouldn't trade that for anything.

“Especially since I get to be aunt to children without actually having to aunt,” she said with a small grin, and Darcy laughed)

and how she doesn't want to stay in school anymore, doesn't want to be called a liar and a thief and a freak.

Dr. Bartlett talked to Darcy's mom after this, but nothing happens. After another month of misery, she instead called Darcy's father at work, and the next school year, Darcy was transferred to a private charter school miles away from her old one, and she ripped Emily's number out of her journal in celebration.

-o-

She waits through high school, where the only people kind to her are her parents and friends. Her first kiss is with a boy who's not her match, and she's not his, but it's okay; his mark shines pale and white against his skin, where as hers burns black over her heart. He's tired of not living, he says, and she says she's tired of waiting for a mystery to drop out of the sky (how she'll laugh at the memory, years later).

It's a bit clumsy and a little weird, and both of them hold their breath in fear of lightening rending the sky, of fire and brimstone raining down on their heads (the town preacher might be a bit old-school when it comes to the sanctity of soulmarks, and they live in a small enough town that it's impossible to not absorb some of it by default), only to laugh and giggle at themselves when the moment passes.

They share more kisses, some innocent, some not. They never go past a certain point, though, Darcy still too shy to let anyone touch, let alone see, her mark, and whenever she thinks about it, she calls herself silly for thinking that way- but she still covers her mark, even when her friends turn to enemies and call her names

(prude, ice queen, tease)

because she refuses to give up that little bit of her that's still hidden, still secret and safe.

-o-

She waits through college, through clumsy attempts at pickup lines and outright grasping hands. She dodges party invites, instead staying in with knitting needles and youtube, and makes passable hats and scarves and lap blankets to give out to friends and family during the holiday season. She finds it relaxing, rhythmic and soothing in a way that makes her think of warm fires on winter nights, and she's not even sure where it came from, this desire to knit and always be warm, but she doesn't question it.

Political science draws her in; the idea of power and how it plays out across the globe, with a focus on medical services and why they need to be available to everyone, no matter what. Oddly enough, Darcy never got drawn into debates about soulmates, preferring to stay on the sidelines with the excuse that she's seen both good (Emily wound up marrying her Muppet; she received an invitation that she never bothered to send back) and bad (her parents finally divorced after years of arguments; her mom had been trying to get her to use her scholarship money to pay for her bills ever since) and so she feels unqualified to give an argument for either side.

Her new friends tease her for her fence-sitting, but are usually good enough to let it go after a few jokes. The ones that don't stop would quickly find themselves on the outs, and she doesn't regret a thing.

At night, when her roommate was asleep and Darcy had no fear of getting caught, she would stand naked in front of the bathroom mirror and trace her words with a gentle hand. There's an odd sense of warmth to them, her words, more than average body heat; for some reason she thinks of campfires and whiskey under starry skies.

Those faint stars are what made her sign up for her internship with Dr. Foster (that, and a crushing fear of failing to graduate without those six science credits). She figured, if nothing else, she'd have campfires and whiskey and the starry skies to herself.

And she was right, for a bit.

-o-

After Tony Stark almost destroyed the world (which they totally only know because Thor told them before he went Bifrost-hopping again, the jerk, and _not_ because Darcy had taken to tracking and following back doors left by the Rising Tide), Darcy is a little leery of anything with the SI logo stamped on the front.

So her reaction to the letter from SI was totally justified, or at least she justifies it that way to Jane as her professor-turned-friend watched the paper curl and burn in the waste bin of their hotel room.

“It's totally going to kill us, Jane!” Darcy waved her hands a bit for emphasis; while it was great going from unpaid intern to unpaid assistant to paid assistant AND best friend, sometimes Jane would forget basic social niceties and ignored you unless you moved.

Shoving the unflattering Jurassic Park references in her brain aside, Darcy continued on her tirade as Jane slowly watched the letter go up in flames. “Seriously though, when has this ever been a good idea? I mean, yeah, they are the head of the global green energy initiative and the Maria Stark Foundation is a fucking fantastic organization, but really Tony Stark is a greedy megalomaniac and we should never trust a word he says!”

Jane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Darcy, I understand your... reservations about this, but grant money can only go so far. Judging from the ink I saw before you finished your flaming pterodactyl imitation, they're offering us lab space and funding.”

“And rights to your work, I can almost guarantee it!” Darcy hissed, incensed. “Why are you being so calm about this?”

“Because they sent another letter earlier this week, and I read over it before turning it down for the very reason you just snarled at me.” Jane shrugged. “That was probably their attempt to sweeten the pot.”

Darcy threw her hands into the air in exasperation, completely done with Jane's train of thought. “Jane, no. Do not negotiate with terrorists. Especially filthy rich terrorists that almost blow up the world with killer robots.”

“Victor Von Doom did extend an invitation to go on a tour of the facilities in Latveria,” Jane mused aloud, lips twitching as Darcy covered her face with her hands and made garbled choking sounds. “Kidding, kidding. I'm pretty sure he also offered for you to be his American political consort-”

“Oh, that sounds _so_ dirty,” Darcy muttered.

“-But I thanked him and told him that as of right now, I'm on contract to lecture in a variety of countries in between my experiments, and that I should not be making promises I wouldn't be able to keep.” Jane continued, smirking at her friend.

“I'm impressed,” Darcy flopped back onto her bed, limp with relief, “you actually listened to me babble about protocol and propriety and decorum-”

“Of course I listen!” Jane gave her an indignant, slightly hurt look. “I always listen to you, Darcy, even when you're complaining of butt cramps and bathroom breaks. That's why I did what I did with SI. I didn't trust their first offer, I won't be able to look at their second-”

“But they will,” Darcy sat upright, eyes bright behind her glasses. “Let me know when that fire burns out. We'll need an envelope and my Sassy Lion stationary.”

-o-

One envelope of ashes and demands later, and Tony Stark himself showed up.

“Nice touch with that, by the way. Very Roman, I could feel the scorn.” he announced as he strolls into their lab, assistants and security fluttering around him like butterflies. “Who's idea was it?”

Darcy raised her hand, middle finger extended, and he laughed. “Of course, the Intern-”

“Assistant now, thanks and fuck you,” Darcy snapped back, her hands immediately sweeping all papers on her desk into a pile to clutch against her chest. “And I thought we made ourselves clear-”

“Yeah, no, look. I collect things. It's something I've always done. Right now, my other scientist left to go run through the jungles and swim with the zebras or something like that, and frankly I'm bored in my lab. Thor speaks highly of your Jane, and-”

“Yeah, okay, first off? Way to sound like a conceited dickbag. Secondly,” she raised her voice to be heard over Tony's ramblings, “ _Secondly_ , we are not to be collected. What Jane's doing will change the laws of astrophysics _as we know it_ , and she doesn't have time to entertain you because your other buddy wised up and left you behind. So unless you're here to guarantee unlimited funding in all areas, including transportation and cost of living, fuck off.”

Tony stared at her over the rim of his sunglasses, appraising. “Done,” he said after a heartbeat. “But you come with so I can stare at that magnificent-”

“Don't you have a very beautiful and terrifyingly powerful girlfriend?” Darcy cut in, narrowing her eyes at the billionaire.

“Right. Well. Assistant, pack up the lab. I'll have my people send over the documents, you and the good Doctor sign on the dotted line, and we'll head out immediately.”

“Did you bring an army to help move this? Because I sure as hell can't.” she retorted, and Tony _grinned_.

“Army? Please. I'm Tony Fucking Stark.”

-o-

Later on, Darcy would reflect on how all her life choices led her to this exact moment, which was standing in front of a swirling black hole in the middle of the SI labs and screaming for Jane to _turn the goddamn thing off already_.

That's when she heard the voices coming from _inside_ the anomaly.

She screamed louder.

-o-

With the power and prestige of Stark behind her, Jane was finally able to update and modify her equipment exactly how she wanted. Gone were the giant pieces reminiscent of a bad 1960s sci-fi thriller; Darcy bid them a fond farewell as they were hauled away. In their place stood streamlined consoles that looked more like art displays than science, bright white with holographic displays and the ever-pleasant FRIDAY.

Of course, with the power and prestige of Stark also came... Stark. He invaded the lab about once a week, yelling and pouting until Jane pulled him over to her whiteboard so he could see her progress. Sometimes it erupted into shouting matches, but usually Tony would just pull up a hologram and go to work at Jane's side.

Darcy would usually just order extra food for lunch whenever they did this- food that was now smeared on the floor and walls, because she dropped it in her panic to grab onto something when the black hole opened right in front of her,

( _right in front of her, Jane, seriously, come on_ )

because for some reason, the black hole wasn't sucking her _in,_ it was _pushing_ back, like it was sucking something _through-_

Something that sounded very much like human voices, or human-esque, because of course when Stark was involved, it wasn't simple Bifrost portals they were researching, no. It was black holes that might lead to another universe.

Because fuck her life.

“ _-nes. Bones hold on!_ ” one of the voices shouted. “ _Don't you dare let go, you hear me? That's an order!_ ”

“ _Goddammit Jim, no!_ ” another voice shouted back, and then two bodies were flying through the portal and directly into Darcy, who lost her tenuous grip on the console and was sent flying backwards in a tumble of limbs and heavy bodies.

 _Fuck my life, seriously_ , she cursed, right before she hit the lab wall.

-o-

“-rcy, Darcy, can you hear me?” Jane's voice was strangely muted, but her brain wasn't functioning enough to explain why before she called for her again. “Darcy, answer me!”

“Jane?” Darcy called back, or tried to. All that escaped her mouth was a groan, a groan echoed by two very masculine voices that were _right on top of her_.

Right. Black hole in the lab. Dropped food. Voices. Flying bodies. _Pain._

“Jane?” Darcy tried again, relieved to hear her voice come through. “Jane what the _fuck-”_

“I don't know, it was stable and then there was a reading, some kind of spike of energy and then it _wasn't,_ it was pushing all this energy out, you felt the force of it yourself-”

“No, Jane, I didn't feel the force of it. I felt the force of two bodies _hitting me into the wall_. Speaking of which, _where the fuck is medical?_ ” Her voice reached a higher pitch at the end of her rant, resulting in more groans from the two still laying on top of her. She shoved ineffectually at the closest one, a thin blonde in a weird mustard-colored shirt. 

“Stop it,” he groaned, flailing one of his hands in the general direction of her face. “Gimme a minute would ya?”

“Medical's on their way, Darcy, just hang on,” Jane's voice cut through the fog of pain. “Security is coming with- _oh my god Tony no don't touch them_!”

Darcy blinked in confusion as Blondie is heaved off of her and Tony's face filled her vision. “You still in there, Lewis?” he asked over the groans of the blond, now in a heap on the floor next to her, “Can't have you dying on me. Looks bad for my reputation when I kill off the interns.”

“Not an Intern,” she slurred at him. “Fuc' you.”

“Atta girl. Up and at 'em, that's it.” Tony rolled Mystery Man #2, a brunette in blue, from his sprawl on top of her legs and onto the floor. “Keep cursing at me and I'll give you a bonus.”

“Deal, dickbag.” she replied, and was surprised to hear a chuckle from Blondie.

“Glad to see wherever we are, the women still have spirit. Ain't that right, Bones?” he moaned, and his companion made some kind of pained noise in response. “Ah, you gotta forgive him, he's terrible around women, especially gorgeous ones.”

“Your face is still in the ground, how did you even see mine?” Darcy staggered to her feet, leaning heavily against the wall for support. “And if you make a comment about my tits, I swear to god, aliens or not-”

“Whoa, whoa, we're not aliens!” Blondie staggered to his feet as well, one foot skidding into his friend's ribs. The brunette groaned again and rolled over, revealing-

Oh,  _hello._

-o-

This was not his day. This was just  _not his day_ .

First came the trio of Ensigns that almost mutilated themselves working in Engineering. Then came the yearly vaccinations, which meant Jim used any excuse he could to get off the ship as fast as possible, which meant Bones got pulled from chasing him around the Enterprise with hypos, only to get put on duty chasing him around a  _planet_ with hypos.

And then another goddamn Ensign tripped some kind of ancient booby trap, which opened up some kind of screaming sucking  _thing_ in the middle of the air when he was only  _ten feet away_ . 

Naturally, Jim had to try and save him, because  _of course he did_ , and now they were both in some strange place, he's got a screaming headache and Jim has already managed to piss off a woman and  _literally_ kick him while he was down. 

Fantastic.

He groaned and rolled to his back, blinking at the harsh lights overhead while he took stock of his injuries. Nothing serious, he noted, which was surprising based on the force they hit the wall-

And the woman before the wall.

He forced himself to his feet, wary of the shorter man with oddly trimmed facial hair standing a few feet away, a nervous brunette woman behind him- were they maybe on one of the colonial moons?- before he turned to check on the injured woman's condition-

Only to see her staring at him, green eyes wide behind cracked eyeglasses.

Wait, eyeglasses?

He turned to face the pair behind him, because the woman in front of him looks _terrified_ (and doesn't _that_ just make his gut twist in shame). “Where are we?” he growled. “What is this place?”

“Stark Industries, New York City, which is one of the most secure locations in the world so congratulations, you're on my shitlist because I don't like people touching my things, and breaking into my lab via space portal counts as _touching my things_.” the man answered flatly, his hands held upright to display some kind of glowing bracelet. “Who the fuck are you and how did you get into my lab?”

“This can't be New York,” Jim cut in. “We've been to New York, this is nothing like New York. She's wearing eyeglasses, for Pete's sake! You can't tell me that we've been gone long enough that corrective surgery is out and antiques like that are in!”

“Fuck you, asshole,” the woman snapped as she straightened up. “These aren't antiques, I just got them last month to replace my other pair. And what the fuck do you mean, surgery is out? It's not out, it's just fucking expensive.”

“Expensive?” Jim started laughing. “You mean to tell me that you charge for healthcare here? Bones, that's it, we've gotta be on some backwater colony or something.”

“I don't think we're on a moon, Jim,” Bones murmured in reply, staring at the woman in front of him. She took off her broken glasses to squint at him, tucking the mangled frames into her jeans. “I think we're just... back.”

“Back? What do you mean back?” Jim squawked, grabbing his shoulder. “How is this back?”

“I think we're not where, but when.” His voice was harsh, he realized, as Green Eyes shuddered against the wall, but he didn't think it's bad enough to warrant _that_ kind of reaction. “I think it wasn't just a spatial portal, but a temporal one too. Look at their clothes, the technology! Christ, Jim, this is either a fantastic reenactment, or-”

“Or we managed to go back in time and space, and are now _centuries_ away from the Enterprise.” Jim finished grimly. “Son of a _bitch_ -”

The woman wobbled on her feet, and Bones was by her side before he even registered moving. His arm slipped behind her to help lower her to the ground, medical training taking over. A few curls fell over her cheek and he smoothed them away with a frown, checking her head for any signs of visible trauma. If he was right about their location, they couldn't risk him using any of his medical tech to treat her- even if it  _was_ their fault she was injured in the first place.

“No visible signs of trauma, pupils normal size and responding to light,” he murmured to himself. “No bleeding or swelling, no trouble breathing or moving. No visible signs of broken bones or sprains, may need a scan to make sure- Jane, was it?” he called over his shoulder, gaze never leaving Green Eyes'. “Didn't you mention a medical team? Your friend needs attention.”

“They're on their way,” Jane wrung her hands together as she hovered just behind him, a bundle of nervous energy. “Oh, _Darcy_ -”

“I'm fine, a little dizzy, but in a lot less pain than expected, which is so messed up I can't even.” the other woman, _Darcy_ , quipped as she glanced at Jane. She shook her head and mildly grimaced before sitting upright. 

“Ah, you're meme-ing. Jane, she's meme-ing, she's fine.” The man chimed in from behind them, voice falsely bright, his face hard and suspicious.

Both of the women ignored him.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Jane asked as she moved closer, hands outstretched to help her friend to her feet again.

“As okay as I can be, all thanks to this gentleman here, anyway. _Good to see chivalry isn't completely dead_ ,” she all but purred at him, and Bones, to his eternal embarrassment, froze, unprepared for her to speak the words that scrawled across his right wrist-

Which made him totally unprepared for when the riot of sensations hit.

-o-

She was thick, golden honey, warm and rich on his tongue. She was lily-of-the-valley trees, flowery and soft, bringing back memories of his mother's apiaries and the orchard that grew behind them.

 _Sweet and smooth_ , he thinks, dazed at how _much_ she is, at the feel of his soulmark igniting along his skin. He had to speak, had to tell her something, anything, to prove she's _his_ just as he's _hers_ -

“Bones? Bones, you alright there? You spaced out on us.” Jim slapped him on the shoulder, jarring him out of her taste and scent and feel, and he both wanted to throttle his friend and thank him all in one.

Darcy, for her part, was staring up at him, green eyes wide and lips slightly parted, and he wondered if she had felt anything, if she suspected, if she  _knows_ , even as he moved closer; close enough he could reach out and touch her skin, see if she felt as soft as she looked, if she tasted as sweet as she did when she first spoke to him-

A woman's voice broke the silence once again, this time coming from speakers set around the room, and he cursed under his breath for the new interruption.

“Pardon the interruption, Sir, but there appears to be an attempt to break into my firewalls around Dr. Foster's data.”

“ _What the fuck._ ” The man growled, immediately turning to the nearest functioning terminal. “FRIDAY, answers, now!”

“Uh, Jane?” Darcy called out, her eyes never leaving Bones'. “Jane!”

“What, Darcy?” Jane was by her side in an instant, arm tight around her waist, support and care all at once, and Bones cursed again, as jealousy and admiration and _want_ warred in his head.

“What are the chances Richards might have picked up on the energy trace from that portal?” Darcy asked, and Jane's face tightened. “Because, and I hope I'm wrong, he seems to be the type-”

“He's exactly the type.” Jane hissed before she turned to Bones. “You look slightly less lecherous and gropey than your friend over there, and you have medical training. Take care of her while I take care of this,” and she all but shoved Darcy into his arms before she sprinted to another terminal, voice raised to call out “Code Blue!”

“Fucking Richards,” the man barked, and Jane made a noise of angry agreement before she began to type furiously at the screen. “Darcy, Code Blue. Hide all evidence, and that means our visitors. I can't send Security until the Fantastic Fuckers go away, they're like sharks smelling blood, except with _science-”_

“It's cool, Tony,” Darcy called, gently separating herself from Bones. “I'll take them down to guest quarters, have FRIDAY put it on the privacy protocol until they go away, that should-”

“Sir, incoming craft detected.” FRIDAY's voice rang from the ceiling again. “It appears to be coming from the direction of the Baxter Building. I can delay them for a short while, but-”

“But Richards can just slip through the door cracks, the bastard,” the man, Tony, snarled, and gestured at Darcy. “Lewis! Get them down and out of sight, for the love of all things scientific and factual.”

“Right,” she nodded and motioned to the door. “Gentleman, this way, please. And hurry. I don't want to deal with Richards or his brother-in-law today.”

“Bit of an ego?” Jim asked, intrigued.

“He mutated himself and three friends in an incredibly dangerous and only semi-sanctioned experiment, and didn't argue when the media called him 'Mr. Fantastic' afterwards. You tell me.” she answered drolly.

-o-

“Look, Jim, right? Just stay in here for an hour or so, there's plenty of stuff to amuse you, please, for the love of god, just, just stay, okay?”

“Are you sure you don't want to join me, babydoll?” Jim gave her a good-hearted leer, and if Bones didn't know this was Jim's effort to be a wingman and help him out, because _he knew what was etched on Bones' arm, goddammit_ , he would kill him for the suggestion.

But Darcy laughed and pushed him into the room, the door sealing shut behind him as she muttered to FRIDAY to turn on all security and privacy protocols and essentially lock Jim in.

“C'mon, your room's this way.” Darcy reached out and lightly grabbed his hand, _his right hand_ , and tugged him down the hall. “No offense, but you seem like you could use a break from your friend right now, and I thought separate rooms would-”

“ _Assistant_!” a new voice boomed down the hallway, and Bones begins to list off the possible number of deities he _had_ to have pissed off to be delayed from speaking to his soulmate so. Many. _Times_.

Darcy groaned, her head dropping down before she peeked up at Bones through the curtain of her hair. “Look, this is going to be awkward, but, uh, play along?”

He's barely opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, not even caring at this point if his mark on her was going to be some babbling demand for explanation, when another tall blonde was upon them, dressed in some skintight blue suit with a large number “4” on his chest. He didn't miss the leer the newcomer sent Darcy, or how she seemed to fold in on herself in an attempt to avoid him.

“I thought that was you! Hard to mistake such a stunning figure, even if you're bedraggled and exhausted. Foster still keeping you up late?” he waggled his eyebrows at her, and Bones scoffed in disgust. New Guy gave him a look of disdain in return. “You got a problem?”

“Nope, no problem Johnny, none at all!” Darcy chirped, her face pale and bloodless, and Bones suddenly wanted to punch “Johnny” in his face. “Just showing my friend to his room-”

“Friend, huh?” Johnny stepped closer to Bones, trying to intimidate him with his height and size- which was laughable, because he was a few inches shorter and thinner and Bones wasn't a violent man, but he was pretty sure he could pummel this guy into the ground and enjoy himself while doing it. “What's your name, _friend_?”

“Kelly,” Darcy blurted before he could even open his mouth. “You remember Kelly, right? I was on the phone with him when you saw me at the bar last week? That important phone call I had to take? Yeah, that was him, Kelly, scheduling a trip to come see me. Surprise!” she finished with a weak chuckle, and Bones had to sigh in defeat.

God help him, his soulmate was a worse liar than Chekov.

“Kelly is my last name,” he offered, deliberately thickening his drawl. He didn't miss how Darcy trembled the longer the lie got.  He reached out to lightly touch her hand in comfort before continuing. “DeForest Kelly is my full name. It's a bit of a mouthful; I don't use it often.”

Johnny laughed, a slightly malicious sound. “Yeah, it is a bit... unique, isn't it?”

Bones shrugged in an attempt to hide the tension curling in his muscles. “My mother wanted to honor her grandfather, you know how it goes in Georgia.”

“Georgia, huh?” Johnny's eyes were calculating. “Where from? Your accent's a bit... thick.”

“Atlanta, born and bred.” His smile was tight, almost feral, and he felt Darcy _shiver_ and press herself closer. “It's one of the things I'm most proud of, you know,” he continued, “Growing up Southern, you learn a few things about manners and chivalry.” He directed his words at Johnny, but his actions were all for Darcy- he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her to him. She trembled against him, and his grin was positively predatory in return.

“Like right now, Darcy here was feeling under the weather, so I was walking her to her room so she could lay down for a bit. We made plans for her to show me around the city tonight, but if she's not up for it, we'll probably just stay _in_ , instead.”

-o-

She was done. She was so  _done._

First glimpse of this guy's face, and she was ready to melt into a puddle for him. Then he spoke, and his voice was rough and smooth, dark and delicious and all she could imagine was that voice in her ear while  _he_ was in  _her_ , and she had to lock her knees to keep standing.

Then he had to prove he was smart and caring (seriously,  _rude_ , how can she possibly be virtuous against  _that)_ and checked her over for injuries, but he was gentle and clinical and totally not a creep, which earned him even more points-

And here he was, caught in a pissing contest with Johnny Storm, with all these smooth implications and innuendos and somehow his voice got even lower and deeper, and now she couldn't prevent from shivering every time he spoke, because his chest rumbled against her back, and her mark kept heating up, and she was suspicious back in the lab but now she was almost 100% certain that this stranger, this dark horse, was her soulmate and  _he still hadn't spoken to her_ .

She was  _so done_ with today it's not even funny.

“Right, well, we're off then, Johnny. You know the way up to the science labs, I'll let Tony know you're on your way up. I'm sure he won't mind sending an escort if you need it, though,” and she's not sure if she managed to keep the nervous grin off her face or not. “But yeah, Kelly and I are just gonna go-”

“Are you sure?” Johnny asked, eyebrows raised in disbelief. “Because it doesn't look like anyone is going... or coming.”

“Trust me,” Bones' voice just _went_ through her, deep and heavy and Darcy had to admit defeat, because her panties were now completely soaked and the man hadn't even spoken directly to her yet. He gave her a look, eyes dark and hooded, smirk firmly in place, before he lifted his head to give Johnny one last parting shot. _“We_ will be.”

That was the final straw. Darcy made some kind of noise low in her throat, needy and desperate, and then his hands were in her hair and she was pulled tight against him, his mouth hot and hard against hers, and she was completely and utterly  _gone_ .

-o-

Christ.

Jesus  _Christ_ .

He hadn't even spoken to her yet, hadn't even told her his _name,_ but she was in his arms and was so soft and sweet as she mewled against his mouth, and he didn't care. All his manners and etiquette that he was so proud of, so carefully cultivated _just for her_ , are gone, lost as she clung to his arms and lips, and _he didn't care._

He vaguely heard Johnny make some kind of disgusted noise before he skulked off, but all of his attention was focused on the woman in his arms. She tasted like his favorite honey, sweet with a hint of bite, and he chased every bit of it he could, until she was whimpering and limp against him. He didn't stop, just swept her into his arms and carried her down the hall. She sighed, relaxed and soft in his arms, and he had to hide his grin in her hair.

“FRIDAY, is it?” he called to the ceiling. “If you could direct me to Darcy's room, I'd be much obliged.”

“I am unsure if I am allowed to do so, Mister...”

“McCoy. Doctor Leonard McCoy.” he replied, and Darcy made a noise in his arms. He looked down at her and the look she gave back, needy and vibrating with want, was enough to make him stop in his tracks.

“He's allowed, FRIDAY.” she called out, eyes hot and desperate. “From now until _ever_.” she finished with a wink, and he chuckled at her flirtation.

“Very well, Miss Lewis. Dr. McCoy, this way, please.”

-o-

They barely made it to her door before he kissed her again, still intense but slower, less frantic now that Johnny wasn't around and he didn't have to posture to get her in his arms.

_Christ_ .

Still no words, but she's already referred to herself as  _his_ in her mind _._ It didn't help that her mark flared hot every time he touched her, like fire on her skin.

She managed to wiggle free for a moment, just a moment, to open her door (she can't tell if FRIDAY is being helpful or a distraction by not directly letting McCoy into her room, but she'll never know because as soon as they were across the threshold, he pulled her  _up_ to him, up on her tiptoes while he leaned down and  _goddamn_ is the height difference really working for her right now) and she had to physically push him away for a second.

(she felt like one of Jane's stars, full of heat and fire and  _want_ that she can't stand it, especially when she saw his lips all swollen and slick from her kisses)

“Are you ever gonna talk to me, or am I just gonna have to spend the rest of my life wearing a shirt so you don't cheat the system?” she gasped out, and the downright _filthy_ grin he gave her in return is enough to make her throw her caution to the wind, along with her clothes-

Except he stepped forward and framed her face in his hands, strong and steady and firm, and leaned down to whisper in her ear, in that smoke-and-gravel voice, and it was all she could do to not fall down, because

“ _I always thought meeting my soulmate would be an earth-shattering event. Looks like I was right_.”

and she was completely utter  _his._

-o-

If she thought his kisses before were intoxicating, she was an idiot, because now that he said her words, well, _oh_ _god_.

In the rush that came after his words, she tasted whiskey, the kind that's strong and smooth and leaves a trail of fire as it goes down- and isn't _that_ telling- and she smelled tobacco and campfire smoke before his hands were on her back under her sweater and she arched up into him.

He smiled at her, his gaze still dark and intense, but his hands are softer, more gentle, as he traced shapes on her skin. She mouthed at his throat before a few ineffectual tugs at his shirt, and he laughed. Then his shirt was gone and she's presented with an expanse of tanned skin with a sprinkling of dark hair-

She figured it'd only be fair to even the score, so she pulled off her sweater and reached back to undo her bra when he stopped her, eyes wide as he took in her mark.

“God almighty,” he breathed as he sank to the floor in front of her. “Out of all the systems I've traveled, the planets I've seen... you are the most beautiful sight I've ever laid eyes on.”

“I'm not that special,” she protested, and he shook his head, his right hand raised to gently trace her words, and oh, her words were on his wrist, and it suddenly hit her, the position they have to be in for their words to meet, and she flat out _swooned._

He caught her, of course, rising to his feet with a masculine grace she didn't think he had, and frowned at the look on her face. “Don't go fainting on me, sweetheart,” he murmured, tracing the line of his jaw. “I've got plans for you and me.”

“Do any of those plans include you and me in bed, sans clothes?” she asked faintly, “Because I am a fan of those plans. Especially _right now_.”

He smirked at her response, but his eyes were still concerned. “They do, but not right now. Right now, I want you to lie down.” He shook his head, stalling her protests with a look. “You took a nasty hit earlier, and the shock of meeting your soulmate can't be helping. Lie down, let me take another look at you, and then-”

“Then we'll be sans clothes?” she asked hopefully, and he laughed under his breath.

“No. Then we'll talk, because I'm not going to have sex with my soulmate before I learn all I can about her, even if she has the body of a goddess-” the look he gave her made her knees buckle _again-_ “because she's worth _everything_ to me, and I won't do her the disservice of acting otherwise.”

She grumbled a bit before eyeing his chest. “Fine, but the shirts stay off.”

“The bra stays on,” he countered, and she heaved a sigh.

“I am in so much trouble with you, aren't I?” she asked rhetorically, and he merely picked her up and carried her to her bedroom in response.

-o-

He didn't want to frighten her, but there was another reason he stalled on sex- he could hear Jim yelling in his head about how much of an idiot he was, yes, he knew that already, _thank you Jim_ \- and that was fear.

There had never been a recorded instance of bonded soulmates being separated by _time._ Distance, yes, and difference in ages, sometimes generations even, but never something like this, and he wasn't going to make Darcy be the first. Two hundred years, he was _two hundred years_ in her future, and he had to get back, both him and Jim. They didn't belong here, and he knew enough science from talking with Spock that their presence here _would_ change things, and possibly not for the better.

He knew they would have to talk about it, talk to Jane and Tony and see if they could figure out a solution, hopefully one that _didn't_ end with Darcy alone and in tears, because he knew he had to think about the safety of the universe and the time-space continuum, but _goddamm_ did he want to spend the rest of his life with this woman, and he _never_ wanted to make her cry.

Even though all he knew about her was her name.

He forced back the thoughts of the future, forced away his worries, and focused on his soulmate. She was tired and hurting and he would be damned if he didn't help her anyway he could.

“Lay back,” he told her, his voice soft; surprisingly, she complied, her bed a mess of down pillows and worn knit blankets. He checked her pupils, her head, her reactions and breathing and everything he could think of without any of his usual tools, and she watched him with shy green eyes and kiss-swollen lips.

“All clear?” she asked after he was done, patting the bed next to her. “You wanted to talk, and I may be too comfortable to move right now, but-”

He laughed as he sat on the bed next to her, and she immediately took advantage to flop over and lay her head in his lap. He stiffened, unused to intimacy, and she rolled over to look up at him, dark hair spread over his thighs. “You alright?”

“More than, sweetheart,” he replied, awed by how comfortable she seemed. “You're just-”

“A lot to handle?” She giggled, her eyes twinkling up at him. “So I've been told. You're not used to casual physical contact, are you?”

“Not really, no,” he agreed, studying the way her hair laid across his lap. “I- I had a wife, once,” he blurted, then immediately pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Goddammit-”

“Heavy stuff first, huh?” she asked wryly, rolling off of him. “C'mon, handsome. You've got ghosts in your eyes, time to spill your secrets and I'll tell you mine in return.”

“Darcy-”

“You wanted to talk, Leonard, and- no, you know what, that's not going to do,” she shook her head as she rearranged herself among her pillows. “I can't call you Leonard, or Len, or any variation thereof. And I'm not calling you Bones,” she added, wrinkling her nose. “How about... Leo? Like the constellation?”

“You see me as the Nemean Lion?”

“I see you as _my_ lion.” she clarified, patting the space next to her again. “My lion, my stars.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim is surprisingly helpful when it comes to relationship advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO.
> 
> This was supposed to be a simple two-shot. A little bit of fluff, little bit of angst, nicely resolved ending where everyone gets a HEA and I could start on my other ideas for the Jukebox (which only keeps growing out of control).
> 
> But then other characters wanted to play, and now it's up to four chapters long and I'm slightly mad that these two won't get out of my head. So have some angst, and a bit of smut, and then some more angst, because I'm a terrible person.

They talked. Side by side on her ridiculous pillow-covered bed, staring into each other's eyes like some kind of rom-com cliché, they talked.

She had been honest with him about her lack of experience; Bones was completely charmed by her admission, because he had sort of been waiting for her too.

(“Mama was very clear; chivalrous men didn't go catting around town,” he told her, and watched as she threw back her head and cackled in delight. “I'm sure she'd love to thank you for how well-behaved I was as a kid.”

“I'm sure she would.”)

Bones told her about growing up in Georgia, about his mother and father and grandparents who owned land just outside the city; about med school and joining Starfleet after his divorce and spending the last eight years with a walking disaster for a captain. He talked a bit about his place back on future-Earth, how it overlooked the Bay and the ocean.

Darcy told him about growing up in the Northwest, how it was always cold and damp and she much preferred heat and warmth and sun. She told him about her parents, matched but unhappy, and about Emily and her Muppet. She talked about Jane and Thor and how she's spent the last five years either running from disaster or headfirst into it.

“I don't know if it's comforting or worrying that my soulmate is so used danger and chaos.” Bones groaned when she was done. Darcy giggled and scooted closer, until she was cuddled up against his chest and could press fluttering kisses to his throat.

“Consider it a good thing that I don't run screaming from it all,.” she whispered playfully, and he glowered at her in response. “What? You just told me all about you and your fellow comrades escapades, Dr. McCoy, you don't get to get all huffy with me about personal safety.”

“I can't help it,” he grumbled as he rolled onto his back. Darcy, undeterred, rolled with him and lay against his side, her arm thrown across his stomach and her legs twined around his. “You're just-”

“Just what?” She propped herself up on her elbow, staring down at his face. “And think very carefully before you answer that, buster, or so help me-”

“I don't want anything to happen to you!” he snapped in frustration. “I just- I want to make sure you're safe, that you're happy, that nothing hurts you and I can't be there in time to-”

“To save me.” she murmured, eyes filled with understanding. _“Leo.”_

“Darcy, no, you don't understand, you can't.” He untangled himself from her to stand, gentle and soft, even as his muscles coiled, filled with tension. “It's not like it is here. Soulmates- in my time, they're rare. Humans aren't the only race anymore, and a lot of them can claim some kind of alien heritage. Soulmarks are so rare that when someone is born with a soulmark, it's input into the hospital databanks. They cross-reference and run algorithms until they can find them. They take samples of handwriting, each year, every year, until the marks match up, or until they're found, and if the Council approve of the match, if they agree, _then_ they let them meet. Soulmarks aren't like they are now, and- and I didn't match, Darcy. I was born with a Mark but I didn't _match.”_

“And you were a doctor, with access,” she realized, sitting up against the pillows, “but nothing came up, because how could it when I was _here-”_

“And that meant- that meant that you were alive, but I couldn't find you, because we weren't _acceptable,”_ he spat, pacing back and forth across her bedroom. “It meant that something was so _wrong_ with us, with _me-_ we were blocked, and then I find you, and you're everything I could want, everything I _do_ want, and-”

“Now you found me, and you can't stay with me.” she slid from the bed, moving to stand in front of him. “Leo-”

“No, Darcy, I can't. I can't- I can't.”

“You won't have to.” she promised, unsure of what she was actually promising. “You won't have to do anything you don't want to do, Leo.”

“That's exactly the problem, Darcy,” he muttered as he grabbed his shirt from the floor. “I _do_ want.”

“Leo-”

“FRIDAY, I need to speak to Jim please.” He announced, and just like that, walked away.

-o-

“Wait, you so and the Assistant-”

“Her name is Darcy, Jim, and you damn well know it,” Bones groused from his spot on the couch. “Don't be cute right now, it's not helpful.”

“Yet you're here, asking my advice,” Jim pressed a glass of scotch into his hand. “Something I say better be helpful, because Christ, Bones, how did you end up in this mess?”

Bones huffed a breath and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Y'know, when she said my words, I tasted honey? Sourwood honey, the kind my mother used to make when we lived out in the country. And I smelled lily-of-the-valley trees, she kept them behind the hives. It's what gives sourwood it's taste.”

“Oka-aay.” Jim drawled, dropping into a chair across from him. “And did you ask her what she felt?”

“No, because I couldn't even say a goddamn thing to her until we were alone, and now-”

“Now you've decided to do the noble thing, 'better to have loved and lost' and all that crap?” Jim leaned back in his chair, his own glass dangerously full. “Bones, you're acting like Spock, it's- it's creepy, man, you gotta stop it.”

“Keep your soulmate drama out of mine, please,” Bones grumbled back at him.

“Nope, because you're doing exactly what, what did you call him, ah, right, the 'pointy-earred goblin' did when he matched up with me and Uhura.”

“Like I said-”

“Bones, look man, you've got a beautiful woman in the other room who literally formed your life, and I'm pretty sure you formed hers- don't forget, I heard you flirting with Dr. Marcus in the beginning, you can be charming when you put your mind to it.  I bet her soulmark is something, huh?”

“Jim-”

“Bones, shut up and listen to what I'm about to say, because trust me, this is a one-time deal.” Jim hunched forward, glass held between his hands, voice low. “Me and Spock- yeah, we're a mess, but we're at least _trying,_ Bones. We're not just giving up, and I know he and Uhura are trying too.” He exhaled before taking a gulp from his glass. “And Uhura and I, we know it's messed up too, and we're trying to be what Spock needs us to be, because he can't live without the both of us, and that we're constantly sniping at each other- it tears him apart sometimes, but he understands, because he's trying for us.”

“Jim, you never-”

“No, and I never will again, so I mean it, Bones. Yeah, it's a mess and we get jealous and hurt and it rips at us in ways that you can't explain, but when it works? When all of us are together, we're happy and we work? Bones, there's no feeling to describe how _good_ it feels. How Spock just glows, and I glow because he's glowing, and Uhura's glowing, and it's just- it's like a sun in your chest, burning and so damned bright.” Jim drained the rest of his drink before slamming the glass on the table in front of him. “And it's worth it, Bones, it's fucking worth it. _He's_ worth it.”

“Easy for you to say, Jim. At least he's in your timeline.” Bones growled, “Darcy and I, we're two hundred years apart. We wouldn't have even met if it wasn't for a freak act of science-”

“One of him is in our time, yeah.” Jim raised his eyes to meet his. “But I felt it, Bones. I _felt_ it when the Other Spock died, because he was _ours_ just as much , and it- it was like a chasm opened inside me. I felt his loss, but I didn't, because he was right there, but Uhura felt it too, and we-”

“I remember,” Bones replied softly, thinking back to the day his best friends wept and clung to each other. Uhura had screamed in every language she knew, screamed and lashed out at Jim, over and over. He took every hit, every punch and kick, holding her close until she couldn't stand and slumped against him, sobbing.

It took Spock three days of seclusion with his mates until they were able to rejoin the crew. None of them talked about what happened behind those doors, and Bones respected them too much to ask.

“We reached an understanding,” Jim's voice was weary, strained and exhausted. “We knew what it was like without him, and we- we agreed we couldn't do it again. So yeah, Bones, we make it work. And I don't know if it's because he's Vulcan and a well of emotions behind that smug pointy exterior, but Bones, I can feel him. Two hundred years into his past,and I can feel him. So don't- don't think this is the end. Because if you do, then it means I've gone crazy, and I can't- I can't accept that.” Jim finished, his eyes lined with red.

Bones looked at his friend- really looked- and saw Jim was trembling, fine, minute things he wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't paying close attention. His eyes were a bit wet and his mouth was pinched, and Bones felt like the world's biggest ass.

“Hell, Jim, I'm sorry, I didn't even think-” Bones started to say, but Jim held up his hand to stall his apology.

“Bones, if you don't go back to that beautiful, probably crying woman right now, I'm gonna march in there and tell her I just lost my soulmate, too, and I can promise you that we'll fall into bed together and-”

“Don't you touch her,” Bones was on his feet, fists clenched, before he realized Jim was smirking at him. “Dammit, Jim!”

“Thank me by naming your first kid after me,” Jim snickered as he pushed Bones towards the door. “She needs you, Bones, and you need her. Don't- don't let fear or anything else get in the way. Trust me.”

-o-

Jim was right, Darcy was crying; big, wracking sobs that made him feel like the world's biggest heel. He eased through the door of her bedroom, wincing as he got closer and could see scratches across her ribs- like she had clutched and scraped at her soulmark.

“Darcy-”

“Leo!” she shot up, face red and wet, with bits of hair stuck to the tear tracks on her face, and Bones felt like someone punched the wind out of him.

“Sweetheart, I'm so sorry,” he made as if to move closer, but Darcy flinched, just a bit, and he stilled in place. “I- I'm the galaxy's biggest idiot, to throw away what- I'm sorry, Darcy, I'm a fool and a coward and-”

“Your wife,” Darcy cut in, her lips twisted into a hard line. “She blamed you, didn't she. That's why you said what you did earlier, that something was so wrong with you that our match was blocked.”

Bones winced again. “She was- she didn't-”

“She did, Leo,” Darcy wiped at her eyes with her hands, fury and hurt written across her face. “She meant it, and you believed her, because you were marked but not matched, so of course it was you. Never occurred to you to look outside your humans, did it?” she struggled out of her nest of blankets and pillows, striding over to poke him in the chest as she glared up at him. “And now, when we should be snuggled close, speaking without talking and knowing what it's like, you decide to be stupid noble and 'save me' from disaster, and then you just- ugh!” She poked him hard before she turned and stomped away, his handwriting dark against the skin of her back. “Do you know what it felt like, when you walked away from me?”

“Like I ripped a hole in my chest,” Bones admitted quietly. “Like I tore out something important, something _necessary,_ and left it raw and bleeding.”

“Exactly.” Darcy sniffled at him, angrily yanking a shirt over her head. “And you just-”

“I'm an idiot and a coward, and Jim was right,” Bones huffed, rubbing at his face. “I messed up, Darcy, because I didn't want to lose you.”

“And you still almost did.” She snapped waspishly, and Bones only nodded, face drawn and closed. “So, what did Jim have to say?” she asked after a minute of silence, arms crossed across her chest as she watched him.

“He said that it was hard, when he met his match, but even with all the bad, he wouldn't trade it because of how good they were together.” Bones took a step closer; when she didn't flinch or move away, he took another step, then another. “He said that when- this isn't the first instance of time travel we've run into. Jim's soulmate, he- his future self, from another time, came through a wormhole. He survived, but- he was so old, Darcy, old and frail and without his matches. He died when we were out in deep space, and Jim- Jim and his mate's other match, they went- they went berserk. Even though their match was still there, he wasn't, and it nearly killed them. They nearly killed themselves, and it took days before they could even stand to see other people besides themselves. I couldn't- I couldn't do that to you, Darcy, I couldn't.”

He hadn't stopped moving as he spoke, watching Darcy as her body language slowly relaxed, no longer defensive and angry. Now he stood within reach of her, waiting, watching her as he kept talking. “I told you I didn't want to hurt you, because you were everything I wanted. Beauty and brains and sass enough to deal with me and-”

“It's bullshit, you know that right?” Darcy cut in, her voice wobbly. “The whole 'hurt you to save you' thing. It's bullshit, and I want to hear you say that.”

“It's bullshit,” he echoed dutifully, chuckling as she wrinkled her nose at him. “You told me to say it!”

“I did, but I didn't like hearing you say it as much as I thought,” she sighed in defeat.

She stepped into him, her arms going around his waist as his automatically went around her shoulders, pulling her close. “You're not gonna get off easy about this, you know.”

“I know,” he murmured against the crown of her head. “I'll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you, Darcy.”

“I'm gonna hold you to that, Leo, but for now I'd rather just hold you.”

-o-

It had started off innocently enough, Darcy held close in his arms. They'd kept their shirts on this time and didn't speak, just laying in her messy bed again. Eventually, she had turned in his arms, reaching up to kiss him, innocent little presses of her mouth against his jaw and skin.

Then he ducked down to meet her lips, catching and holding her still while he slowly explored, testing what made her gasp and what made her sigh. It wasn't until she was arched under him, panting and mewling as he moved lower, nipping at her collarbones, that it registered that maybe they should stop, give themselves more time. He paused, and Darcy reacted.

She did something with her calf and his knee, and he found himself tripped and rolled underneath her. He watched, mouth dry, as she sat back on his thighs and stripped off her shirt.

“ _Darcy,”_ he breathed, his hands sliding up to cup her through her bra. “We should stop.”

“We should,” she agreed, and rolled her hips against him. “But I don't want to.”

“I don't- Darcy, I-”

“I won't push you, Leo,” she curved down to press her lips against his ear. “But I _want,_ and you said you do too.”

“I do,” he tangled a hand into her hair, arching her head back and exposing her neck. “So I'm gonna give you a chance, Darcy. Just one. Cause once I have you, I'm not letting you go.”

“What about-” she gasped as he bit down over her pulse. “What about the future?”

“I'm looking at her.”

-o-

They took it slow, learning each other through touch and taste and sound before anything else. Darcy was a vocal lover, he discovered, all moans and sighs; Leo, by contrast, was gritted teeth and bunched muscles until she surrounded him. Then he was full of low prayers and quiet praise, his grip tight and his kisses rough on her skin.

“Leo?” she murmured later, her head on his shoulder as she lazily traced shapes on his chest.

“Hm?” he replied back, drowsy and loose against her pillows.

“Did you mean it?” she asked him, fingers still over his heart. “Earlier, when you said- did you mean it?”

“More than anything, sweetheart,” he turned to his side, his wrist turned out so she could see her writing on his skin. “I told you, one chance.”

“Yeah?” She asked hopefully, a smile on her face as she snuggled closer.

“Yeah,” he answered, hand sliding over her back. “Turn over, sweetheart. Lie back and let me touch you.”

“Leo!” she gasped as his fingers began to trail over her ribs, taking care to trace her words. “Leo, I'm too sensitive, you can't-”

“I'm not ashamed to say, I'm glad this is how it happens.” he pressed his lips against her temple, his hand sliding down to raise her leg back over his hip. “Matter of fact,” he exhaled as Darcy cried out when he thrust up, “I prefer it.”

Darcy screamed as his arm slid across her ribs, his words coming into contact with hers as he pulled her tight against him. She _burned,_ bright and hot and full, as she felt the bond snap into place, solid and forever.

“Leo, Leo,” she babbled his name as he moved in her, “Leo _please-”_

“I've got you, sweetheart, I've got you,” he promised, jaw clenched tight as he moved in her, slow rolling thrusts that had her trembling in his arms. “I've always got you, Darcy.”

“Yours,” she cried out, “Yours _yours yours Leo_ -”

“Mine,” he growled as she clenched around him. “And I'm yours, sweetheart. Now and forever.”

-o-

“Wait, so you and Intern-”

“ _Not an Intern_ -”

“Her name is-”

“I _know_ what her name is, she works for me-”

“Excuse you, _Stark,_ she works for _me-”_

“This is no time to be possessive _Foster-”_

“ _This is the perfect time-”_

Jim sidled up next to him as the rest of the room attempted to outshout each other. “So... you took my advice, huh?”

“Jim, for the love of god, not now.” Bones exhaled slowly, watching Darcy as she smacked Tony with a tablet. “I still haven't forgotten what you said to her that first day.”

“What I- oh, you mean- that was just- flirting, Bones, innocent flirting!” Jim babbled, eyes slightly wide as he took in his friend's tense frame. “I never-”

“Had a chance,” Darcy cut in. She pushed past Jim, ignoring his squawk of protest as she snuggled against Bones. His arms automatically wrapped around her shoulders, feeling how tense she was underneath her casual air. “I had my eyes on Tall, Dark and Serious here from the moment I was lucid enough to ogle.”

“That's-”

“Soulmates for you,” she snickered, shooting Jim a look over her shoulder. “Now buzz off while I talk to mine, yeah? Before I let him shoot you up with 21st century chemicals, that's a good Captain.”

Jim gaped at her.

“Why are you still standing there, Jim?” Bones smirked at him over Darcy's head. “You volunteering for primitive medical treatment?”

“Sadists,” Jim grumbled and shook his head. He turned to walk away with a smile on his face. “You two are made for each other. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Darcy called back softly, before turning back to burrow against him.

“You doing okay, sweetheart? Your head's not bothering you?” He asked in concern, his hand sliding up to tangle in her hair. “Say the word and we'll go back to your quarters.”

“Apartment, Leo, not quarters,” Darcy tried to smile up at him; a pale, trembling thing. “And no, it's not my head, it's just... they're talking science over there now, running the numbers and calculating the odds, and it just became a lot more real that you- that we might not...”

He nodded and held her closer, tucking her head under his chin. “You're scared of what's going to happen.”

“Terrified,” she nodded.

He couldn't say anything to reassure her. It wasn't the first time he thought about it, of everything between them.

Instead, he held her close, her hands twisted into his shirt, as tightly as he could.

For all they knew, it would be the last time.

-o-

It took the better part of a week, which they spent on dates and romance, all at Bones' insistence to court her properly (although Darcy had her suspicions that it was more along the lines of Thor's influence, because they were already bonded and done in her eyes)

before they had their answers.

“Based on these readings, we can probably get them back to their proper timeline.” Jane spun around in her chair, eyes dark and only slightly wild. “But I can't guarantee what will happen when the bond is stretched that far in time. Distance is one thing, but time- there's no way to measure or calculate what will happen.”

“Did Thor have anything to say?” Darcy looked at her best friend, tears welling behind her glasses. “I mean you guys make it work, and-”

“He didn't have any more idea than the rest of us,” Jane took Darcy's hands in her own. “His people have stories and legends of souls separated by cities, continents, worlds, even, but nothing about _time._ Based on what Jim's told us about feeling _his_ soulmate, it might work, but if it doesn't... the best we can guess is that the bond will stretch until it... well, dies, for lack of a better term.”

“Because I'll be long dead in his present, and he doesn't exist in my future, so it'll be like we were never matched.” Darcy swallowed, bile rising in her throat. “Jane-”

“It's okay, Darcy, it'll be okay,” Jane said fiercely, pulling her into a hug. “I swear it will be okay.”

“You shouldn't swear things like that, Future Princess of Asgard, or us lowly mortals will hold you to it.” Darcy replied in a watery voice, and Jane scoffed.

“I'm almost royalty, I'll swear whatever the hell I want. And I swear, Darcy, I promise you- you'll be okay.”

Jane didn't say it, but Darcy knew, knew in her heart what Jane was thinking.

_You'll be okay without him._

-o-

“This is it, gentlemen,” Tony announced, sweeping his hands around the room. “This is your final boarding call for Alien Future Planet via Air Foster-Stark, please do not leave the weird summoning circle you _permanently scorched into my floor_ or you may lose an appendage or five-”

“Tony, _shut up_ ,” Jane hissed between her teeth, glaring at him through her terminal screen. “This is not the time-”

“No, Jane, it's okay,” Darcy wiped at her eyes, her glasses tucked away. “It's... it's what was meant to happen, and you promised it would be okay, remember?”

“Yeah, I do,” Jane said softly, watching as her best friend prepared to lose the other half of her soul. “You should- before it's too late-”

“Yeah, I should,” Darcy sniffed, wiping at her eyes again before heading over to Bones' side for the last time. “Hey, Leo?”

“Darcy, you shouldn't be this close-”

“It's okay,” she waved off his concern with a slight tilt of her head. “The Science Twins are too busy arguing to press the button, and I wanted one last talk with you.”

“Sweetheart,” he exhaled, stepping closer and pulling her into a hug. “You can't do this to yourself.”

“I'm not, I promise,” she shook her head. “I had something I wanted to give you, before you left.”

She held out her closed fist, waiting for him to hold his hand underneath before she dropped something into his palm.

It was a necklace, a small silver pendant on a thin chain.

“I've had it since I was a teenager,” she rushed, “the whole Leo-child thing, and I don't know if they do astrology in your future, but I wanted you to have something from me and it's not much, but, um, I hope it will remind you of me.”

He nodded, his throat too tight to speak. “I, uh-”

“It's okay, Leo, it'll be okay,” she smiled up at him sadly, eyes swimming as she reached up to touch his cheek. “We had our time, and we'll go on from this and you'll find some hot future space nurse and have gorgeous space kids, and I'll probably follow Jane to Asgard or go out in a lab explosion with Tony, and-”

“You'll do more than that, Darcy Lewis,” he murmured, her necklace clutched in his fist. “You'll- you'll find some guy lucky enough to be _now,_ and you'll make him happy, even though he won't deserve it, and-”

“Lewis!” Tony barked at her. “It's time. Step back, it's only calibrated for the two of them. If you get sucked in, I can't guarantee anything in terms of safety.”

“One fucking minute, Stark!” Darcy called over her shoulder. “I want one last kiss from you, Doc, so you better make it count.”

It wasn't a soft kiss, or a loving one. It was hard, furious breathing and grasping hands before Darcy stumbled back, lips swollen and clothes rumpled.

“You should go, before I pull you with me,” he forced the words out, numb and heavy and unwilling to form the sounds. “Safety be damned.”

She nodded, backing away until she was at Jane's side, the petite scientist's hand clutched in hers. “You better watch out for him Jim,” she called out suddenly. “Or I'll find you and kick your ass.”

A flip of a switch, a whoosh of air, a flash of light-

and the lab floor was empty.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Jane are the ultimate bros.

 “ _TONY NO!_ ”

Jane was shouting her new mantra again, and Darcy was so done with it all.

It had been three weeks since Leo and Jim had gone back. The bond was still there, still strong, and she took comfort in the fact that wherever he was, Leo was safe and happy and-

Darcy found herself facing a swirling black portal.

“Oh for fuck's sake, Stark!” she yelled, throwing a Nerf ball at his head. “That's cruel, even for you!”

“I'm wounded, Lewis, wounded!” he glared at her through a pair of yellow goggles. “Now shush, the adults are working. Foster, release the robots!”

“Robots?” Darcy started as a team of robots that looked like miniature Dum-Es, one clutching a tablet in it's tiny claw, rolled through the portal with a series of beeps. “Tony what the fu-”

 “Language!” he cackled, fingers running over a series of holograms as he moved around the lab. “And I thought I told you to shush!”

 “Sometimes, Tony, you're really an insufferable dick.” she huffed, sliding off her chair. She left the lab, needing to be anywhere else, because that portal he had just sent robots into-

 It looked exactly like the one that took Leo away.

 -o-

 “Darcy.”

 “Hey, Thor, what's up?” She leaned against the door frame, watching Thor shift nervously in front of her. “Okay, what is it?”

 “Jane has told me of your soul-match. I wanted to give my congratulations.” he rumbled softly, his expression fond. “She told me that they sent him back, to correct the timelines.”

 “Yes, she did, Tony too,” she agreed, voice just as soft. “But I don't understand, Thor, why-”

 “The Aesir learn many things through their lifetimes, Darcy Lewis. Some, more than others. Heimdall sends me with a gift for you.”

 “A gift?” Darcy looked at his hands, empty and clasped in front of him. “I don't see-”

 “He has given Jane that which she needs to find your soul-match, Darcy. She knows where to direct her machine, but more importantly, when.”

 Her legs must have failed.  It's the only explanation for how Darcy found herself on the floor, staring up at Thor through teary eyes. “He- she- I can- I can see him again?” she whispered. “I- I can go to him?”

 “If that is your heart's desire, hearth-sister, it will be.” Thor looked almost sad as he knelt in front of her. “You will be sorely missed, little lion, but your path has always lain among the stars.”

 She threw her arms around his neck, eyes squeezed tight as she thanked him the only way she could. In her head, there was a running chant to Thor, to Jane, to Heimdall and Tony and even Odin and Frigga (Ragnarok rest her soul).

  _Thank you,_ she whispered, _thank you._

 -o-

 “Short Stack, it's time.”

 “Thanks Tony,” she stepped forward and hugged the older man, ignoring his squawks of indignation. “I'll miss chasing after you with fire extinguishers.”

 “Please, you put Dum-E out of a job. Maybe now he'll stop sulking and actually do something again.” he joked, and Darcy felt his arms come up to hug her back. “If only Pep and I had convinced you to join us before Space Dog came and got you.”

 “Pepper, yes. You would have never had a chance.” She shot back, laughing at his faux-affronted face. “Well, maybe twelve percent of a chance.”

 Tony groaned and released her to dramatically clutch at his chest and bemoan his lack of faithful women. Darcy and Jane ignored him, facing each other for what was possibly the last time.

 “Are you sure about this, Darcy?” Jane asked her again, meticulous and thoughtful to the end. “We can cancel at any time, you know, you don't have to-”

 “Yeah, Janey, I do.” she smiled at her oldest friend, wobbly and crooked and _bright._ “He's waiting for me, and I... I think I've waited enough, Janey.”

 “Okay,” Jane blew out a breath. “But if it doesn't work out, you'll call for me, you hear? You say the thing, and I'll come get you myself-”

 “Please, it will totally be Blonde and Musclely, don't even lie,” Darcy cracked one last time, eyes watering behind her glasses. “You- you'll be too busy running Asgard like the HBIC you secretly are.”

 “I'm never gonna have another friend like you, Darcy Lewis.” Jane declared, her hands fluttering in the air for a minute, before she stepped forward and crushed Darcy into a hug. “I'll never forget you.”

 “I'll name our first kid after you,” Darcy promised, voice cracking. “Jana, Juno, Jane- you'll live on in her, and she'll ask me about the stars, and I can tell her that you're out there somewhere, wearing them in your crown like the Queen you are.”

 “You'll always have a place at my side, Darcy, and Thor's too.” Jane squeezed her one last time before she stepped back. “Now, go stand on that circle, we've got Science! to do!”

 -o-

 Jim and Bones landed in a heap, much the same way they fell through the portal in the first place. Spock and the rest of the landing team were still there, staring in shock as they groaned and pushed themselves upright.

 Spock moved the minute Jim was on his feet, Vulcan speed as he inspected his soulmate closely, worry and affection warring on his usually stoic face. “Captain, are you hurt?”

 “I'm fine, Spock, just a few bumps and bruises from that landing,” Kirk laughed thickly, his forehead pressed against Spock's. “Just... just stand there for a minute, okay? I want to make sure I'm not dreaming again.”

 “Dreaming?” Spock inquired.

 Bones tuned them out as he turned to face where the portal was. Nothing but a bunch of rocks and stones, nothing to hint at the thing- and the woman- that turned his life upside down. He clutched his fists, only to curse when he felt something bite into his palm.

 Darcy's necklace was still in his hand, the chain tangled around his wrist. He hadn't lost it after all.

 “ _Darcy,”_ he sighed. He untangled the chain, holding it up to inspect the pendant more closely. “As if I could ever forget you, sweetheart.”

 “Doctor, are you... well?” Spock stood at his side, head tilted to the side as he studied him. “You seem to be in distress.”

 Bones shook his head, grimacing. “Ask Jim, he'll tell you. I just... I can't.”

 Spock didn't reply, merely watched him for a few seconds more before he nodded and strode away. Bones didn't follow, just stood and stared where the portal- and his soulmate- once stood.

 He started when Jim slung a companionable arm around his shoulders. “Jim, what-”

 “Can you still feel her?” Jim asked conversationally, as if he was asking about the weather or the current state of affairs on Kronos. “Is she still with you?”

 Bones paused before replying. “She's burning like a star,” he eventually answered, voice slightly raw. “Bright and hot and beautiful as ever.”

 “I told you, Bones,” Jim slapped him on the back. “You just gotta have faith.”

 -o-

 “Captain, we're reading odd energy signals from the planet's surface.” Uhura greeted them as soon as they stepped onto the bridge. “Similar to the signal that activated the portal. Was anyone else down there?”

 Hope flared in Bones' chest. “Jim, it's her,” he grabbed blindly at his friend. “It's her, it's got to be her!”

 “Bones, calm down a minute, alright?” Jim dodged his hand, bumping into Uhura with a muttered apology. “Nyota, sorry. Just, uh, do something about him for a minute, I need to talk to Spock-” he all but shoved his lieutenant at his chief medical officer in his haste to get away.

 “ _Jim!”_ Bones barked at his retreating back. “Goddammit Jim! It's _her!_ It's Darcy!”

 “Who's Darcy, Bones?” Uhura, a steady presence at his side, asked with concern. “McCoy.  It was just the two of you in that portal.  Who's Darcy?”

 “If I'm lucky?  My future.”

 -o-

 “ _Robots, sir.”_

 “Robots? What kind of robots?”

 “ _Little wheely ones, with grabby claws, and-_ put that down!” Scotty ducked from view, angry noises coming from off-screen as he and Keenser wrestled over _something_ before he popped back up, visibly winded.

 “Scotty, focus here!” Jim ordered, glaring at his head engineer on the comm screen. “Where did they come from?”

 “ _From the portal, sir. It was here, and then the little wheelies came out, and they left this-_ ” Scotty held up a tablet that looked _very similar_ to a Stark tablet- “ _Pushed a button, snapped a picture, and then wheeled back in and it went poof!”_

 “Poof, Scotty?”

 “ _Poof sir, like magic. They were there one second, gone the next!”_ Scotty leaned in closer, as if to tell Jim a secret. _“Jim, there's a message on this thing,”_ he whispered. “ _It's, ah, not for all-eyes.”_

 “Who's eyes is it for, Scotty?” Jim asked, curious. Spock and Uhura stood behind him, one hand each on Jim's shoulders, the other clasped between them, as they waited for the answer.

 “ _It's marked 'To Bones', sir.”_

 -o-

 Tony's face filled the tiny screen, his voice thin and tiny through the tablet speakers.

 “ _I'll be frank, Space Jerk. I didn't like you when you crashed my lab, I liked you even less when you stole my Assistant-Intern's heart. I really don't like you now though, even if she finds you Tall, Dark and Scowly. So here's what's gonna happen: you're gonna set back down on whatever backwater dirtball you landed on in the first place, and you're gonna wait. And if we're lucky, and the gods themselves smile on you, you'll get your heart's desire._

  _Oh, Scowly? If you hurt her, I'll find a way to come find you and kill you. Slowly. And that's after Jane's done with you._ ”

 “What a pleasant man,” Uhura commented dryly when the video was over.

 “I don't see how you two could bear to be separated from his company.” Spock agreed, eyebrow ticked up in amusement. “It's almost eerie, how similar-”

 “Alright, that's enough,” Jim interrupted them with a raised hand. “Comments on personalities aside, what are we gonna do?”

 “We tell him, of course.” Uhura stated, surprised.

 “Nyota is correct, Captain,” Spock reasoned from his seat between them. “To not tell Doctor McCoy of this would be a most grievous thing. I would not forgive any who would interfere with the matter of my mates, how can I stand for interfering in another's?”

 “You don't get it, guys. If we tell him about this- we might not make it back to Earth in time.” Jim motioned to the map on the screen in front of them. “Tardiness aside, once they learn why we were late... Well, we'd basically be breaking every regulation Starfleet could throw at us and maybe a few more they haven't invented.”

 “No offense, sir, but when has that ever stopped you?” Scotty asked with a knowing look.

 “Well now that that's settled... who's up for a vacation?”

 -o-

 Luck was just _not_ on her side.

 Instead of letting her step through, all dainty and sweet, or even just deposit her all wobbly like the Bifrost did, the portal spat her out into the orangey-red dirt. She landed with a yelp and rolled to a stop in a painful heap. Darcy shook her hair back with a wince and looked up, greeted by a serious-looking man in blue with pointed ears and a severe haircut. He stepped backward with a curious expression, almost clinical.

 “Fascinating,” he intoned.

 “Fuck this week, _seriously,”_ she groaned, flapping ineffectually at the pointy guy. “Get away, Jesus _christ-”_

 “Captain, the package appears to have arrived,” The man in blue stepped back to make room, and Jim, dirty scruffy ugly-mustard-shirted- _Jim,_ was there, crouched in front of her with a shocked grin, and if Jim was here then-

 “Leo?” She whispered, looking at the group of uniformed people that surrounded her. “Jim, where's Leo?”

 “Hey Bones!” Jim called over his shoulder, grinning as mild cursing could be heard coming closer. “Stop complaining, it was only a mild sedative- you used it on me, remember?”

 “Jim, that wasn't a damned 'mild sedative', that was a- _Darcy?”_

 “Hi.” she waved, then giggled. “Um, Jane called in a favor, and-”

 “You're here,” he dropped to his knees in the dirt and the sand, hands lifted as if he wanted to touch her but was afraid. “You're here.”

 “I'm here,” she giggled again, her hands stained orange-red as she lifted them to his shoulders. “See? Real.”

 He pulled her close, his face buried in the curve of her neck as he clutched her against him. “You're here, you're here, thank god, you're here,” he repeated brokenly, mumbled into her skin. “You're here.”

 “I'm here. You promised forever, remember?” She felt tears well up as she clung to him. “I told you I'd hold you to it,” she teased through sobs.

 He kissed her, frantic and needy and deep. “You're actually here.”

 “I'm actually here. To stay,” she smiled up at him. “Jane called in a favor to Thor. Thor asked Heimdall, and Heimdall did his thing and found you for me. He gave the coordinates to Thor, who gave them to Jane, who used them in the machine with Tony and it opened a portal to here and now-”

 “Now?” Bones pulled back to properly look at her face. “Darcy, how long has it been?”

 “A few weeks, give or take?” Her voice wavered at the devastated look on his face. “No, no, don't you dare get all self-sacrificing on me again, Leo, or I swear I'll-”

 “I won't,” he promised her. He cradled her face between his hands, eyes intense and searching as he held at her. “I won't.”

 “Good. Now help me up. I'm covered in space dirt and crying and we have an audience.” Darcy smiled up at him again, and as soon as she was steady on her feet, he kissed her again.

 “A very uncomfortable audience,” Jim called from behind them. “Emotions are very... emotional things.”

 “Spock and Nyota,” he grumbled as his hands fell to her waist. “And Jim.”

 “Nice to meet you,” she said as she poked Bones in the side. “I'd offer to shake your hands, but I'm sort of gross and would really like a bath before I start the 'meet and greet the crew' portion.”

 “You've got a long way to go before that, sweetheart,” Bones shook his head at her. “Spock, we're gonna need a full medical contamination team waiting for us when we beam back up, Darcy has no immunity to anything-”

 “Hey, I have plenty of immunity!” she protested, ignoring Jim's grin and Spock's curious head tilt. “I got all my vaccines and flu shots-”

 “I'm pretty sure you don't have a vaccine against, say, Malvaran mud fleas, and they're the least of my concerns.” He reached down and cupped her cheek, tilting her head up to look at him directly. “You took care of me in your time, sweetheart, let me take care of you in mine.”

 “Captain, who is this human?” Spock asked with a smirk. “She appears to have some sort of power over Doctor McCoy to make him almost... congenial. It is most strange.”

 “Spock, this is what we humans like to call serendipity.” Jim grinned and threw an arm around Spock's shoulders. “Or as Bones calls her, his future wife.”

 “ _Goddammit,_ _Jim.”_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life in the future isn't quite what Darcy had imagined.
> 
> Then again, up until three weeks ago she hadn't really imagined it at all.

Her first few months in the year 2264 were really terrible, if she had to be honest.

Bones had gotten her into the MedBay and immediately started her on a crash course of two hundred years worth of medical advancements- vaccines, treatments, scans- everything he could get his hands on, she got. He _did_ provide her with a new tablet during her stay so she could start learning about the future, which the poli-sci major in her appreciated.

The soulmate in her, however, did _not._

“Don't take it personally,” Jim supplied cheerfully from the chair next to her bed. “He does this to show he cares. The more he cares, the worse he gets- trust me, by the time we reach Earth, you'll be so healthy there's nothing in the entire universe that could take you out.”

“That's actually not reassuring,” Darcy scoffed at him. “I haven't even seen his quarters, Jim. All I've seen is this stupid medbay and this stupid tablet and I'm sick of it! I want to sleep in a real bed, with real clothes and real sheets and not just some weird future paper gown and blanket!”

“I can help with one of those things,” Jim held a bundle of blue cloth. “We had to, uh, tailor it a bit to fit, but it's something other than a paper dress.”

“A uniform?” Darcy wrinkled her nose as he shook out her gift. “But I'm not-”

“No, you're not,” He grinned at her as he shook it out, revealing a short dress similar to what Dr. Marcus wore on her rounds. “But hey, it's blue! So you and Bones can match in every way. Heh. Get it? Match?”

“Yeah, I get it, you're so clever,” she rolled her eyes at his antics. “Are you gonna give me that and get out of here so I can change? You know Leo and Spock will kill you if you try to peep.”

“He knows,” Bones, voice rich with amusement, stepped around the privacy screen. “It's why he's leaving right now, so you can change before I escort you to our quarters.”

“Our quarters?” Darcy blinked owlishly at him. “You mean-”

“He means,” Jim cut in smoothly, “your quarters, as in the quarters the two of you will share, as a Matched couple, because you are _not_ the only person on board who believes he should stop stabbing you with needles and sleeping in separate rooms.” He stood up and gave Bones a look. “Bones, you're relieved of duty for the foreseeable future- and that's an order.” he added when Bones opened his mouth to protest. “I'm not the only one who's noticed how cranky you've been-”

“Cranky-”

“We'll be reaching Earth in about a week, Carol can handle all the injuries that come in before then.” Jim ignored his interruption and kept talking. “That will give you plenty of time to fully cement your bond, or whatever you crazy kids call it,” he winked and Darcy grinned, “Then you'll report for debriefing, and then we finally, _finally_ , get a vacation from saving the known universe.”

“A vacation sounds nice,” Darcy said wistfully, and Bones' face softened as he looked at her. “Someplace nice and open and a good place for campfires, maybe.”

“I know just the place,” Bones offered as he fiddled with the machines around her bed. He offered her his hand to help her up, a smile playing around his lips. “Assuming you don't mind going a bit... back country.”

“I don't mind at all.” She smiled up at him, and Jim made a gagging noise in the background.

“Seriously, off with the two of you, I can't deal with this right now.”

-o-

“Leo?”

“Hm?”

“Why are they staring?”

Bones looked up from his datapad, surprised at her question, and saw several heads in the mess hall turn away or back to their own food. “What-”

“You've got them all in a tizzy,” Scotty dropped into the seat in front of them with his own tray of food, shaking his head as Keenser climbed up next to him. “They're all curious about this mysterious soulmate Dr. McCoy found on a uninhabited desert planet, lost in the dregs of the Alpha quadrant. Very mysterious,” he wiggled his fingers at them before spearing a chunk of something on his fork. “Speaking of curious, what the hell are we eating today?”

“Andorian carrots,” Bones glared at the room at large, “Scotty-”

Scotty flung the carrot chunk across the room. “Ugh, nasty things, bad for good little boys like me-”

“I doubt that very much, Scotty,” Darcy chuckled as she took a bite. “Reminds me a bit of parsnips. Not bad, probably be better covered in cheese.”

“Cheese?” Scotty's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “You can't improve the taste of Andorian anything with _cheese-”_

“Scott!” Bones snapped his fingers in front of his face. “Focus. How did they find out-”

“One of the guards we took with us down talked about it. Loose lips sink ships and all that,” he chuckled, ignoring the looks between Bones and Darcy. “Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing that you came along, is it?”

-o-

“The next time Scotty says 'it's not a bad thing', remind me to punch him straight in the mouth.” Bones scowled up at the Council, hands shackled in front of him.

“You'll have to wait in line,” Darcy blew a curl out of her eyes in exasperation. “I'm pretty sure I have the first _thousand_.”

Their shuttle from Starbase 01 to Earth was not what Darcy had expected. It was exhilarating, actually _flying_ in space, to be able to see the burn when the shuttle hit the atmosphere. Darcy was shaking with excitement by the time they were able to disembark, ready to see the new world Bones promised her-

Only to be greeted with guns and charges of espionage and treason.

They tore Darcy from Bones' side, getting a hypo needle into her neck before she could scream. Bones tried to fight his way to her, tried to get her back, only to be dropped by a stunbaton to the back. It hadn't taken the soldiers long to bundle them up in the back of a cruiser and take them somewhere. All Darcy could remember was hearing Bones shout her name before her vision went black, but when she woke up, she was alone. She was once again on a cot, in a plain white cell with no visible door. Her uniform was gone, replaced by standard grey sweats with a number on the right side of her chest.

“Glad to see some things never change,” she muttered. “It's been two hundred years, you'd think they'd have invented better prisoner duds.”

She paced around her cell, restless and worried for her soulmate. She could feel him through their bond, a sort of quiet warmth in her chest. It seemed almost sluggish, like he was out of it too-

Darcy had nearly worked herself into a panic when one of the walls slid up, revealing more soldiers with some kind of device held in the hands of the woman in front. “Step forward, hands down and in front.” she ordered, and the soldiers behind her shifted, stun batons in hand. “I repeat, step forward, hands down and in front.”

“Go eat a donkey,” Darcy snapped, standing upright. “Where's Leo? What did you shitheads do to him?”

“Less than we're going to do to you unless you follow our orders,” one of the guards in back jeered, and Darcy gave him the finger in return.

“Stand down,” the woman snapped at him before she turned back to face Darcy. “Look, either you go willingly, or you get stunned and go anyway. It's up to you, but I personally would prefer not to drag your ass to the Council.”

“The Council ?” Darcy's courage faltered. “The Federation Council?”

“The one and the same.” The woman held up the cuffs again. “So, willingly, or unwillingly?”

Darcy had slowly extended her arms, allowing the woman to snap the cuffs into place before marching her down a hall. A few twists and turns of the halls, and Darcy was completely lost. The woman didn't stop, just pushed her shoulders in the direction she wanted to go, until Darcy was unceremoniously loaded onto a transport. One uncomfortable ride later, and she was herded into a small empty room to wait.

-o-

Darcy tuned out most of the Council's drivel, focusing instead on Bones. His jaw was clenched tight, brow furrowed as he glared indiscriminately at everything. Dried blood from a small cut on his temple ran down the side of his face, and Darcy shuddered at the rage she could feel swirling through their bond.

“Leo,” she whispered, reaching over and lightly touching his hand. “Hey, look at me.”

“Darcy, now is not the time.” He didn't look at her, just kept staring at the Council with fury in his eyes. “They're going to separate us, they're not going to let this go-”

“No, they aren't.” She smiled secretively at him, the lightness of her tone causing him to finally, finally look at her.

Her hair was a tangled mess, dark smudges under her eyes, a fine tremor in her limbs- but she was _beaming_ at him like they weren't about the be ripped from the other, like she had some secret-

“Don't we get a chance to defend ourselves?” Darcy called out to the Council, shoulders squared and head held high. “Isn't that the point of a trial?”

“You stand accused of espionage, high treason and the manipulation of soulmarks. Even if you do have a natural match to Dr. McCoy, you did not register your Mark in the database,” an older man, long and narrow face much like Spock's, stood as he addressed her. “There is not much that you can do to defend yourself against those charges, especially when you have no tangible proof.”

“What about the reports of the crew? Of Captain James Kirk, who was with Dr. McCoy when they fell through the portal that brought me here?” She was still smiling, a gentle amused thing, as if she was humoring the Council. “Have you even read them?”

“Mere fantasy,” a woman with mossy green skin and yellow eyes leaned forward. “Time travel has never been achieved-”

“Of course not,” Darcy agreed with a laugh, “Humans couldn't be trusted with that technology. We'd destroy everything. But Asgardians? I'd trust them with the fate of the universe.”

She took a deep breath and released it, giving Bones a sideways smirk when she did. “Wanna see a neat trick, handsome?”

“Sweetheart, I don't know what you're playing at, but if it'll get us out of these cuffs, please, be my guest,” Bones waved his hands in a “carry on” gesture.

Darcy took a deep breath, holding it in before releasing with a shout,

“SUPERCALIFRAGIBULLSHIT, Janey, _get me out of here_!”

Bones stared at her, worried she had cracked while in isolation-

A beam of light crashed from the ceiling and into the floor, and the Council room erupted into screams.

-o-

When the light faded away, a group of six stood, arranged in a loose circle. Four men and a woman, all dressed in armor with weapons from antiquity, stood protectively around a slender woman draped in a gown of gold, a glittering crown upon her head.

Darcy laughed, delighted, as she skipped over to their side. “Jane!”

“Darcy!” The woman shouted, and pushed past the warriors in front of her to hug her friend- only to stop when she saw the cuffs on her wrists. “What are those?” she asked, tone dangerously calm. “Why does it look like you're restrained?”

“Oh, I'm kinda being accused of being, like, space-HYDRA but with less Nazi?” Darcy shrugged. “They think I faked my mark.”

“Oh, _really._ ”

Jane's hand slashed down, and Darcy's cuffs fell to the floor with a jingle. “Whoa, how'd you manage that one bosslady?”

“Magic,” Jane winked, a dagger in her hands, before she turned to Bones with a placid smile. “Didn't you get Tony's message?” she inquired idly, and cut through his cuffs as well. “I'm pretty sure he told you what would happen if Darcy got hurt.”

“Well excuse me for not predicting the future, your majesty,” Bones snapped sardonically, stepping to Darcy's side. Carefully, he lifted her hands to inspect her wrists, eyes flickering over her to make sure she was uninjured. “Darcy, are you alright?”

“This is the worst date ever,” Darcy told him in a serious voice, even as her hands started to shake. “No wonder you wanted to go out in my time, this has been such a shit day. You are so buying me all the things when we get out of this. Like, all of them. I don't even know what they are yet, but you're buying them.”

He laughed, a hoarse, rusty sound and gently tugged her closer. “All the things, huh?” he rumbled against the crown of her head, his hands rubbing up and down her back. “Don't I get a choice?”

“Nope.” She rested her forehead against his chest, her hands curled lightly in his shirt. “All the things.” Her voice came out slightly muffled, but he could feel the tension seeping from her body the longer he held her.

“All the things, then, sweetheart.” He promised, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head.

Jane laughed from behind them, clear and bright, before fixing him with a stern look. “I forgot how perfect you two were together.” She made a grand sweeping motion with her hand. “Stay over there and take care of Darcy, my King and I have things to discuss with this... _council._ ”

“She's got her 'sick-of-your-misogynistic-old-men-bullshit' face,” Darcy leaned up to whisper in his ear. “It's best to let her and Thor handle this. I'm pretty sure I have diplomatic immunity, if nothing else.”

“Diplomatic immunity?” Bones gaped down at her. “How in hell do you have diplomatic immunity?” he hissed at her. “And why is this the first time I'm hearing about it?”

“It was something Jane, Thor and I worked out before I left, just in case. A sort of emergency beacon that would bring Heimdall's attention to me, in the here and now. And honestly?” Darcy shrugged. “I wasn't sure it was going to work, two hundred years is a long time to be waiting for a call, and I didn't want you getting worked up over a failed Hail Mary.”

“Christ,” he groaned, pressing his nose against her temple. “Your plans are worse than Jim's.”

“Hey now,” she wriggled against his hold in protest. “I plan WAY better than Jim.”

“You may have started an intergalactic war,” he pointed out, motioning where Jane stood yelling at the Council, Thor proud and supportive at her side.

“Or let the Federation know that there's more out there than they're prepared for,” Darcy shrugged. “Once Jane's done insulting the lemon-faces up there, Thor will step in, smooth it out, and we'll probably wind up with a celebratory feast and possibly a promotion by the end of the week.”

“ _How is that_ _better than Jim_?”

-o-

“ _So.”_

“So.”

“ _Ambassador.”_

“Yep.”

“ _To Asgard.”_

“Yep.”

“ _How's Bones taking it?”_

“About as well as you'd expect. There was some yelling, some cursing, a few creative metaphors involving burning swamps.” Darcy shrugged and took a sip of her iced tea. “Once he finally calmed down enough to realize we couldn't be separated now, he was much more receptive to the idea. 'Course, he's got space in his blood now, I can't see him staying in one place for long. Guess I'll have to make sure I can get some kind of long-distance Bifrost phone from my bosses or something.”

Nyota laughed, and in the distance Darcy could make out Jim shouting something. “What was that?”

“ _Oh, Jim just wanted you to know you can't laser beam on and off his ship._ ” Nyota smiled as she turned her head to yell something back in Vulcan. She turned to face Darcy again, smile back in place. _“How are you enjoying your peace and quiet?”_

“Leo went to go get supplies for our trip out to his cabin,” Darcy laughed, “I've never been a fan of the whole 'outdoorsy' look on a man before, but _goddamn,_ Nyota. I may have said a little prayer of thanks to the inventor of denim.” She went a little starry-eyed at the memory of Bones in jeans- specifically, how delicious he looked that morning while shaving in nothing _but_ his jeans.

“ _Earth to Darcy!_ ” Nyota laughed at her expression. “ _I gotta go. Jim is trying to do something increasingly Jim-like, and I can hear Spock wavering on letting him. I'm gonna go corral my idiots, but you and I will be getting together whenever you two get back into town. Preferably someplace free of men but full of drinks._ ”

“I haven't had future space booze yet,” Darcy mused. “You're so on.”

“Oh god, please no,” Bones grumbled as he walked through the door, hands laden with bags, and pressed a kiss to the top of Darcy's head. “I don't think my heart can handle that much trouble.”

“Spoilsport,” Darcy turned and stuck her tongue out at him playfully. “I'm gonna go get future-space-drunk with Nyota and you can't stop me.”

Nyota laughed and waved goodbye as she signed off the vidscreen, her expression fond before it blipped into nothing.

“Can't stop you, huh?” Bones growled back, just as playful. He dropped the bags to the floor, and Darcy squealed in surprise when he scooped her up out of her seat, just barely avoiding knocking over her glass of tea. “What if we didn't come back, hm? What if I just kept you out at the cabin, all blissful and satiated.”

“I dunno, can you?” Darcy challenged, wiggling in his arms. Bones just tightened his grip as he started carrying her towards the bedroom. “I hear older men have a hard time sometimes-”

“Old, huh?,” Bones' voice dropped into the husky rasp that never failed to give Darcy the shivers. “I'll show you _old,_ darlin'.”

“Speaking of...” Darcy trailed off as he lowered her down onto their bed. “Remind me to -ah!” she gasped as he nipped at her throat. “Te-tell you about Thor's offer.”

“What offer?” Bones leaned back, brow furrowed. “Darcy, I know you're an Ambassador to Asgard and all, but I'm Starfleet for life.”

“Yeah, that's kind of what the offer was about.” Darcy grinned up at him, brilliant and happy and perfect. “Ever hear of Idunn's Apples?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Bones was done shaving and realized Darcy had been watching him the whole time, I imagine his reaction went kind of like this:
>
>>   
>    
> 
> 
>   
> And Darcy would not refuse.
> 
> You're welcome.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Magical Powers!verse is up next, because the ABOverse is still cooking in my brain and hasn't quite gotten all the snarls worked out yet.
> 
> Heh. Snarls.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm druid-moon over on tumblr, feel free to stop by and yell at me. <3


End file.
